Hour photo / Erik Trautmann Quarterback for Staples, Andrew Speed tries to move the ball up field during a devastating defeat by Darien High School Saturday in Darien.

Hour photo / Erik Trautmann Quarterback for Staples, Andrew Speed tries to move the ball up field during a devastating defeat by Darien High School Saturday in Darien.

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Hour photo / Erik Trautmann Elliot Pouilley of Staples tries to move the ball up field after a reception during a devastating defeat by Darien High School Saturday in Darien.

Hour photo / Erik Trautmann Elliot Pouilley of Staples tries to move the ball up field after a reception during a devastating defeat by Darien High School Saturday in Darien.

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Hour photo / Erik Trautmann Quarterback for Staples, Andrew Speed tries to move the ball up field during a devastating defeat by Darien High School Saturday in Darien.

Hour photo / Erik Trautmann Quarterback for Staples, Andrew Speed tries to move the ball up field during a devastating defeat by Darien High School Saturday in Darien.

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H.S. Football: Staples shut out by Darien

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DARIEN — On the first play from scrimmage, Staples handed the ball to its star running back Ethan Burger.

The junior running back didn’t gain a yard before he worked his way to the sideline.

That was the only play that Burger would take part in, setting the tone of Darien’s 27-0 win over Staples on Saturday afternoon at Darien High.

The win clinched a spot in the FCIAC title game for Darien (8-0) who will face New Canaan (8-0) on Thanksgiving morning.

Staples (6-2) will need to defeat Greenwich on Thanksgiving to punch its ticket in the Class LL playoffs.

Burger injured himself on the game’s first play and it forced junior Elliot Poulley into a more prime role in the Wreckers’ offense.

“Now you have a kid at running back who is going to be a really good player for us, (in) Elliot Poulley,” Staples head coach Marce Petroccio said. “Now he has to go both ways against a team that’s going to throw the ball like this team does, playing safety and running back. It’s tough.”

Darien knew the loss of Burger was a blow for the Wreckers, but it didn’t change what the Blue Wave were going to do on defense.

“I saw that he went out. It doesn’t change. Don’t forget they played four or five games without him which we watched on tape. It really doesn’t change what they do. It didn’t change anything that we did. I don’t know if it changed what their plans were,” Darien head coach Rob Trifone said. “He’s a great running back.”

Even without Burger on the field for the Wreckers, the Blue Wave defense didn’t have a problem disrupting the Wreckers’ backfield that rushed for just 52 yards, well short of their season average of 255.9 yards a game.

“We just couldn’t get any push in the middle of their defense. I thought their two inside tackles played very well, the linebackers played well,” Petroccio said. “(Mark) Evanchick finally got his sack. But I thought for the most part our kids did not do a bad job against them.

“I thought they did a great job defensively,” he added. “We didn’t get much push up front. We tried to run option and couldn’t do it and they’re a great football team.”

Darien’s defense end Mark Evanchick came into the game with 59.5 sacks for his career, one sack away from breaking the state record held by current Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dwight Freeney, who had 60 sacks when he played at Bloomfield.

Evanchick got the sack with 45 seconds left in the first half as Staples quarterback Andrew Speed tried to step up in the pocket, but Evanchick was right behind him and tackled him for the record.

“Pretty special. If you do it in a game that’s 49-0, it’s not quite as special,” Trifone said. “To do it in a game that means something, it was a great for Mark.”

Evanchick finished with three sacks in the game, setting the new state record at 62.5 sacks with at least two more games left in Darien’s season.

Darien got the scoring started at the end of the first quarter — after both teams traded turnovers — as Darien’s Cord Fox punched in a one-yard touchdown run with 3:14 left in the first quarter. The extra point was block, giving Darien a 6-0 lead.

In the second quarter, the Wreckers defense forced a turnover on downs against the Blue Wave as they were threatening to score again, but two plays later Poulley fumbled, giving the Blue Wave the ball back with good field position.

Two plays later, the Blue Wave were back in the end zone as Darien quarterback Timmy Graham hit Colin Minicus for a 24-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion try failed, giving Darien a 12-0 lead with 9:17 left in the first half.

On the next Staples drive, the Wreckers couldn’t get anything going and on fourth down the Blue Wave defense came flying through and blocked Ryan Fitton’s punt, giving them the ball on the Staples’ 18-yard line.

Darien moved down the field but fumbled on the goal line and Staples recovered.

Again though the Blue Wave forced another punt and again it was blocked but this time the ball went into the end zone and Staples jumped on it, giving Darien a safety and a 14-0 lead.

“You can’t do what we did. What did we have five turnovers today? You can’t do that against a team like this,” Petroccio said. “With all of that, it’s still 27-0 so we just did things today that we don’t characteristically do and there’s the result.”

In the second half, it was more Darien offense as Graham (25-for-34 for 316 yards and three touchdowns) hooked up with Minicus (eight catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns) for a five-yard touchdown and with Shelby Grant for a 12-yard score giving them the 27-0 lead they would hold on to.

“We hung in there for a while. I thought the defense played well for the most part,” Petroccio said. “In the end we got a couple of more days to figure out how we’ll attack Greenwich and if we can win, hopefully we can get into (the state) playoffs. If not, our season is over.”

Staples will play Greenwich on Thanksgiving Day morning at 10 a.m.

“It’s Thanksgiving Day and we know what we need to do and they’re a very good football team, too,” Petroccio said. “We have to get some things straightened out, see who’s hurt, who’s not hurt and then figure it out from there. Right now, we’re at barebones.”